Gender and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: Partnership for Pastoralist Development Association (PAPDA)

Deadline: January 6, 2025

Job Description

• Job Title: Gender and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer
• Duty Station: Field-based with frequent travel to project locations (Pastoralist and Agropastoralist communities in Ethiopia)
• Reports to: Program Manager/Protection Coordinator

Organizational Background

PAPDA is a humanitarian and development organization operating in pastoralist and agropastoralist communities across Ethiopia. The organization implements multi-sectoral interventions including WASH, Nutrition, Health, Protection, MHPSS, Natural Resource Management, Food Security, Income Generation, MPCT and Emergency Response. PAPDA works to enhance community resilience, improve access to essential services, and support sustainable development, with a strong commitment to gender equality, protection, and mental health support for crisis-affected populations.

Position Purpose

The Gender and MHPSS Officer will lead and support the design, implementation, monitoring, and coordination of mental health and psychosocial support interventions with strong integration of gender and protection approaches. The role ensures that vulnerable groups, particularly women, girls, persons with disabilities, and survivors of crisis, receive quality, survivor-centered, and gender-responsive psychosocial support services. The officer also contributes to capacity building, case management, community awareness, and integration of MHPSS and gender mainstreaming across PAPDA programs.

Key Responsibilities

Program Implementation & Service Delivery

•        Lead MHPSS activities including psychological first aid (PFA), emotional support,

•        group counseling, follow-ups, and referral services.

•        Ensure gender mainstreaming and inclusion across all psychosocial and protection

•        activities.

•        Conduct individual and group MHPSS sessions, support groups, and community-based psychosocial interventions.

•        Establish and support Women & Girls Friendly Safe Spaces (WGFS), youth safe

•        spaces, and community support structures.

•        Work closely with protection, health, GBV, and WASH teams to ensure integrated

•        psychosocial support in project implementation.

•        Maintain confidential client files, ensure documentation and case management

•        according to safeguarding standards.

Capacity Building & Community Engagement

•        Train community workers, social workers, volunteers, HEWs, and local committees

•        on MHPSS, gender, PSEA, GBV risk mitigation, and child protection.

•        Strengthen community referral pathways, support community-based protection

•        structures, and facilitate awareness on mental health and gender equality.

•        Organize life-skills training, resilience-building group sessions, and

•        psychoeducation for different community groups.

Coordination & Partnership

•        Collaborate with government authorities, health facilities, women and child affairs

•        offices, CBOs and cluster partners.

•        Represent PAPDA in protection/MHPSS coordination meetings and cluster

•        platforms.

•        Ensure integrated case management and referral to specialized services when

•        required.

Monitoring, Reporting & Learning

•        Conduct assessments to identify psychosocial needs, gender risks, and service

•        gaps within target communities.

•        Prepare activity plans, weekly/monthly reports, narrative inputs for donors, and

•        document success stories and lessons learned.

•        Support MEAL team in monitoring progress, collecting data, and evaluating service

•        quality and impact.

•        Ensure accountability, safeguarding, and confidentiality principles are upheld.

Qualifications and Experience

•        Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Psychiatry, Social Work, Gender Studies, Public

·         Health or related field (Master’s preferred).

•        Minimum 2–4 years’ experience in MHPSS, gender, GBV prevention/response, or

·         protection programming in humanitarian/development settings.

•        Training in PFA, case management, psychological first aid, or MHPSS approaches

·         highly desirable.

•        Experience working in pastoralist or hard-to-reach communities is an asset.

•        Strong understanding of gender equality, protection principles, safeguarding, and PSEA

·         and survivor-centered approaches.

•        Good communication

Core Competencies

•        Strong interpersonal and counseling skills

•        Gender-sensitive and culturally appropriate approach

•        Empathy, confidentiality, and professionalism

•        Report writing and documentation skills

•        Community facilitation and problem-solving ability

•        Team player with strong coordination skills

 

How to Apply

Interested and qualified applicants can apply through: >>https://papda.odoo.com/jobs/gender-and-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-mhpss-officer-2026-299, Until the deadline till January 7 2026.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.